Clarets are being backed heavily by punters to qualify for the Champions League

Burnley are being backed by over half of all punters in the race for a seemingly ludicrous Champions League spot for the Lancashire club.

Masterminded by Sean Dyche, Ashley Barnes dramatic last minute winner saw the Clarets overtake UCL stalwarts Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal in the league and nestle into fourth place.

Winning six out of their last eight, Burnley are attracting plenty of attention in the betting markets, with 53% of all bets on UCL qualification through Oddschecker backing the Clarets.

More likely to be relegated than finish in the top half, the remarkable job by Dyche has resulted in chants of “We’re all going on a European tour” emanating from the stands at Turf Moor.

It’s the highest league position held by Burnley in the top flight for 42 years, and the only teams ahead of Dyche’s side are Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

And if the bookies are correct, the chance of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and co visiting Lancashire next season is now a far more realistic prospect, as a result of the astounding start to this season’s Premier League campaign.

Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “It’s all smiles at Turf Moor at the moment, with Sean Dyche arguably the leading candidate for best pound-for-pound manager in the league. Things are so rosy at the Lancashire club, that we’ve seen droves of bets on Burnley to qualify for the Champions League, an unthinkable proposition just a few months ago. With Dyche’s men available at a whopping 150/1 in places, we anticipate a spate of bets piling in over the near future.